Time

Nicole Page-Smith

Time

The star map on the Earth is the score. Manuscripts of music have written the music of the heavens since the beginning. Composers, instruments, musician and churches have all been hearing the voice of angels for years. God reserves Saints for the presence of God and they suffer that way. Suffering the love of God, the martyrdom of the Saint Cecilia was for our sake and a blessing for the sake of religious freedom. Saints are of a higher order to God. Musical freedom uses the heart but the hearts suffering translated into music is not all God is annotating in the stars of the universe. Not all music is about suffering either more the emotions of the heart. The star map of the heavens is something our emotions are trying to communicate to us through God. Religious freedom and the freedom of beliefs is another reason we hear the music but to hear the music in your heart is to hear the Lord.

You would imagine the heavens would donate angels for the purpose of the love in your heart. To imagine Saint Cecilia in modern day and a Saint for the purpose of music, one of the most pleasurable angels of our heart, is a difficult task but nonetheless one to be thankful for. We are as thankful for God but the river gods wash away our tears. If we were to imagine a modern day Saint in the Western world there are a few examples. However, I struggle with the idea of anyone having to suffer for other people and for their pain or sin. God tests us and Saint Cecilia's martyrdom is self-sacrifice. Saint Cecilia heard the music of the Lord and the Stefano Maderno sculpture of the dead or dying corpse feels like it has been lying there for centuries, uncorrupted. The subject matter of Stefano Maderno's sculpture is typically flamboyant in its very Baroque melodramatic manner, where grandiose pleasure is accompanied by the dark countenance of death or "memento mori" (remember you must die). Maybe the Roman Catholic religious beliefs of the day act in the high drama. Rome is almost the birthplace of opera coming out of the high trills of the early music of the Baroque and Jacopo Peri's "Dafne" (1597) was one of the earliest known operas ever performed. We are then reminded of Bernini again who perhaps overshadowed Stefano Maderno but the Saint Cecilia sculpture lives on as another fine example of the time.

The music

Nicole Page-Smith

The music

The Baroque style of Saint Cecilia is also represented in a late Bernini sculpture Blessed Ludovica Albertoni at the San Francesco a Ripa a block away in a church down the street from the 5th Century church of San Cecilia in Trastevere. The exuberant, floral style of the subject matter is typical of the day in 17th Century Rome and both sculptures are quite well known in art history books. The small Baroque, Saint Cecilia, sculpture by Stefano Maderno is exquisite in the representation of the Saint. The high drama of the subject is reflective of Virgilian literature and the classical Hellenistic revival of ideals being emulated in Baroque Europe in the 17th Century where early Greek and Roman mythology were common subjects in art. Philosophers mythologize whereas art historians speculate and tend to almost be like scientists probing with contestable theories with little known factual information. However, artists appear to be caught up in the mythology and mystery to spur the imagination. Stefano Maderno apparently sculpted the actual body of Saint Cecilia, an uncorrupted corpse. 

We go into ideas about early gods and the beginnings of Western culture, here and realise the crossover of mythologies of Ancient Greek and Roman myths set in the time of the bible or some two thousand years ago are very familiar to the native legends of New Zealand and Australia. Although, the stories are similar appear to refer to campsite stories familiar to how the early Hellenistic philosophers and storytellers communicated their writing, etched away in stone blocks. You wonder if at some point ships have sailed by the South Pacific donating early Old Testament bibles or the stories were known in the stars from a similar time given the language difference. Perhaps, the myths and stories of the South Pacific were told down through storytelling from generation to generation because although, similar to Ancient Greek or Roman legends are not the same. The high drama of the Baroque art of Bernini and Stefano Maderno similarly reflects classical Hellenistic themes through, 17th Century, eyes.

Speculative theories aside music is written in the stars for hearts to annotate. Saints and graced composers from the sky hear the music. Some people believe graced forms of angels are here amongst us from the heavens. Listening to the music would make you feel a higher order is involved. We rise up to the cosmography annotating our way with star maps of the sky. Saint Cecilia heard the music.

Julia Margaret Cameron, 

Saint Cecilia, after the manner of Raphael, 1864-1865, 

Victorian and Albert Museum, London

Another place

Nicole Page-Smith

Another place

Chapter 3.

Seduced by all the mystery of her death, the tragedy speaks of extremes, God made Saint Cecilia hear the music in her heart. We are then taken soaring with the angels to the  heights of heaven. In compensation of passion and the heart's desire we think of music and have music pour through our hearts stirring the emotions as though the gods were at war in the heavens. While thunder and lightening are occurring somewhere above, we are down on the Earth in a church with organs and lyres having music interpreted through our emotions. Music translated through musicians, the conductor, musical scores written by composers, passion transcribed. We are almost there with Saint Cecilia walking around with her barefoot in pagan dress but spiritually taken to the music. Climbing the eves to spiritual heights we are relieved of the Saint's pain and troublesome times. Music takes our heart to another place.

The Lord, above

Nicole Page-Smith

The Lord, above

We heard the music, too but not the sound on the way down from heaven. By the time the sound hits us it is almost too late. Gurgling and groaning as if out of the depth of the sea or a mountain as with reverberation, sound hits you like you are in the depth of a concert with a full orchestra. So, loud is full sound but takes longer than the speed of light. On the way down from heaven, music is played.

Oscillating with the planets, planets groan out there, in the fixed space of heaven. Sound cannot be heard in the void. Contained with the revolution of the Earth as on Earth, everybody gets on with their daily life and sound cannot be heard between the distance of the Sun. Pockets of organic matter float in space like the stars and moons. Angels hear the music because they are music.

Birds fly. Music speaks of the heart. To fly as with angels is the music and it is as though you are in the tree with the birds soaring skyward. Trees lose their leaves and the birds fly to a more, sunny, place. Uncorrupted the Saint lay in Stefano Maderno's representation of Saint Cecilia. We are to witness martyrdom and the pagan life of another time. Trying to imagine the life of people in 3rd century Rome is a difficult task. However, dressed in a plain Roman style dress presumably the martial robe, we are confronted by a serene, tranquil, figure. The way the hands are displayed would be a symbol of martyrdom. Saint Cecilia heard the music of the Lord, above.

New galaxies through the Milky Way

Nicole Page-Smith

New  galaxies through the Milky Way

Stars fell from the sky into the sea like meteorites and planets from another lining of the planets in the sky. And the the music of gurgling was heard after a time as with water going down the drain. All the water from the oceans and all the gods and rivers and sea thought it was the end of the world but a deafening sound was heard and the Sun came closer and closer. Although, the Earth was not inhabited at this stage forms of previous life could be noticed with intense music being heard in pockets of sound like a mirage of the wind but wind no longer existed on the planet. The planet seemed to get hotter and hotter but then drifted off just at the last moment to circulate the Sun on a different revolution to form new galaxies through the Milky Way.

Saint Cecilia heard the music

Nicole Page-Smith

Saint Cecilia heard the music

Chapter 2.

Centuries of old had us hear the music and see the light of God. You can imagine traveling in space and encountering pockets of energy like the unexplained showers of meteorites, almost attracted to them through sound waves and a gravitational pull. Some forms of energy would be sucking you down towards them and although, not anti-Christian towards God, would be an experience better described by Eastern religion, a re-birthing in a sense, not simply the life and death issues of Western concern. If you think in a cosmological way about black holes and their purpose we are entering the imagination. God has a beginning and an end or the entrance of a vortex as with maelstroms of ideas. If you imagine anything we know in nature such as tornados, cyclones or maelstroms, out at sea, the destruction of the energy caused by their occurrence is negative however, energy harnessed. You almost feel like the beginning of world, the universe and all the fixed stars in heaven, could have been the result of being spat out the end of a black hole. If we then try to think of something a little more positive as with the introduction of music or sound waves, we are at the best concert you may have ever seen and floating around the universe like the Earth orbits the Sun. Timing is the key and I think when we realize how simple all the mysteries of the universe should be and take it back to yourself as an example you almost go mad. Time is the essence but timing is something music tells us. Saint Cecilia heard the music.

You may hear Bach from another century

Nicole Page-Smith

You may hear Bach from another century

Reading the clouds and patterns of the skies should be like reading the weather, music was written in the sky. Stars tell you the way but Saints show you the way. To heaven is the way and are the notes. Notes of music are like messages angels tell you. We listen to angels because they work in with God. Angels are always there for us on Earth but remind us of the heaven in the sky. God is the music. If we were given the gift of a composer either the music or the score to be written we would be given a part of heaven. Our spirit needs to know the way. The way to God is the message needed for the heart. We need indications all the way through our life 'what way is up' or where, heaven is in the sky. Clouds are a good indication of where the sky is as they travel along with the wind or the music of God. Heaven can equal the sunshine and all earthly happiness but can equal the darkness of the night sky with the stars. Where you find happiness is only nominated by God and where you find the music is in the heart. Stars and all nature are the music. 

The musical nature of the universe is for the love of God but trees are the music. Swaying in the breeze, birds flutter but trees have the oak. Stars fell on us from heaven on the day of the Lord. The Earth was only, inhabited by trees and birds. Big species of birds come from islands and places unknown to man. The trouble is we have never known the Earth as the Sun died millions of years before our existence. We are almost in reflection of the moon because we reflect the Sun. We are in memory of the Sun for the Sun had light. We irradiate energy. Stars and the moon take us further to something we are for God.

We are the light of God, the sunshine. Music provides an insight. Light is the darkness for the stars and the moon and travels for light years until you feel you may hear Bach from another century. 

                                         

John William Waterhouse, Saint Cecilia, 1895

Transcending angels

Trancensding angels

Chapter 1.

Churches and walking along finding the Baroque before Bernini and not being able to view other churches including Bernini, I found Saint Cecilia, the patron Saint of music. Hearing the music. Quite small, the sculpture of her, lay there, towards the front of the church. Flying with angels, transcending. The church was airy, fairly spartanly furnished with church pews. Postcards were for sale, downstairs in the crypt. Walking and small images of the Virgin Mary, lined the way, old images, weather worn. How could the patron Saint of music be so small? Such a fragile tribute to the music heard by the Lord. Music is the same. Music sometimes is unnoticed and other times, stirs the emotions. Music is almost unconscious.

Myth and memory, sketchy details of facts, still allow for limited room for the imagination to wander. We enter a world of the barbarism of early Christian life of Saint Cecilia born in 2nd Century Rome. Sometimes God allows little understanding of where extreme martyrdom ends and the experience, transcends to become beautiful or God, where God steps in to take the heart past pain but in barbaric times this could simply be past fear. Saint Cecilia heard the music. Spiritual elevation is needed to transcend our hearts to the angel. Music takes the heart to God. The emotion is too intense but we should not need compensation. Delicate angels fall out of Saint Cecilia's heart to you and transcendence takes the spiritual back to the church.

Music is our angel.

We take angels to the sky, to the top of the church and transcend, become angel. Angels become the music, the instruments, the chorister choir and sing. Angels are the sky and the clouds and fly with the air waves, the sound waves and descend with us to the earth, walk with us. The sound of footsteps, your own while walking reminds us of universes of stars and pathways laid in front of us. Birds flying make a sound, overhead. Cats rustling through the grass sound like reeds blowing in the wind. The river flowing runs by Saint Cecilia. Musical angels sing in her honor, flying with composition after composition, singing and opera. Singing with the angels, composers write. We are here for the angels annotating their every need like the birds singing and the wind blowing, hear the music. Transcending blue skies take us to whispering history and reading the signs.

Nicole Page-Smith